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jessicadr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I for sure thought this book was going to be a 4 star from me. It was cute, and I found myself reading it quickly because I wanted to get to the part where they “figured it out” but it wasn’t as strong as I was hoping it would be… and the ending? The ending is what knocked it down to a 3 star for me. I think it could’ve been stronger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Infidelity and Cancer
linaslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Porter Roth<3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug use, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Grief, Stalking, Cancer, and Death
thebooknook180's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I feel like I saw this book marketed as a YA romance, and definitely don’t feel like that should be the case. Like yes, that’s on the forefront, but there are plot points of violence and trauma, and drug abuse of minors. (So just be warned) With that being said, weirdly enough I VERY much enjoyed this book. I’ve been in a horrible reading slump for months and flew through this one in 2 nights. The characters are funny, and the concept is new and fun. I loved the movie influence and the summer setting. I also live really close to where this book (basically) takes place, so it was fun imagining basically where I live. For me, the darker plot points I mentioned felt a bit random and unnecessary. But overall the characters were well written and that’s always my main thing. Gonna look into picking up her other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Gun violence
srah's review against another edition
emotional
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Gun violence
maya_shaffer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Drug abuse
nicolesreadingbooks's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Violence
kalin_grace's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence
jennwith2ns's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really love Porter and Bailey and this book just made me happy. However, I felt like the Alex storyline ended up falling by the wayside for like half the book and then bam reveal at the end after a ton of TERRIBLE communication between our love interests.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
oliviabrcka's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Alex, Approximately follows Bailey "Mink" Rydell as she moves across the country to live with her dad in California. Her plans for the summer are to work at a local museum and spend her free time searching for Alex, her online friend who lives in the same town as her dad. Her plans get changed when she begins to develop a relationship with Porter Roth, her archenemy-turned-friend-turned-crush, but not everything is quite as it seems... Alex is closer than she thinks. I picked this book up after seeing in recommended by Hailey in Bookland, and it is a great, fluffy summer romance!
As a first time Jenn Bennett reader, it did take me a couple chapters to get used to her writing, but I did enjoy it once I got in the groove! Her style is a little all over the place, but it fits well in the context of the story, since our main character is a teenage girl riddled with anxiety. This was a pretty medium paced story, but I will say that I'm confused as to why the book's summary gives away the fact that Porter and Alex are the same person?? I mean, it's obvious throughout the whole book so I get why she wasn't making it a huge secret but I feel like that takes away so much of the mystery and magic of actually getting to the last few chapters. That totally gives away the conflict and resolution that actually happens! Makes no sense to me, but I hope Bennett had a good reason in mind when she made that particular creative choice. (Again, the fact that I'm writing this isn't a spoiler because it's literally IN THE BOOK SUMMARY. WEIRD.)
Bailey is our main protagonist, and I personally liked her. She's one of the most realistic and relatable main YA characters I've read in a while, although her actual life situation isn't all that realistic or relatable (that probably makes no sense, sorry). She's got some trauma, some anxiety, and family drama, but the main focus of her story is her relationship with (the dreamy surfer dude) Porter Roth. They start as (sort of) enemies, move to (sort of) friends (who flirt a lot) to lovers. Porter is a great love interest in my opinion, because Bailey describes how complex of a person he is. He is a simp, a loving family man, an overprotective idiot, and a raging a$$ all in one (smoking hot) package. We love that for him. I also LOVE Grace and wish that she had some more page time, her spunk and attitude totally stole all the attention.
So, let's be honest, this book isn't meant to make you stop and truly contemplate your life decisions. There are some small themes here and there, but for the most part, we are just having a good time falling in love with Porter and Bailey. I see no problem with that.
If you are looking for a little vacation read, beach read, summer read, or escape from a dreadfully cold winter, this is for you! If you love a cute romance, this is for you! If you want a pretty quick read that will rescue you from your reading slump, THIS IS FOR YOU! Alex, Approximately is written to please the masses, so enjoy!
As a first time Jenn Bennett reader, it did take me a couple chapters to get used to her writing, but I did enjoy it once I got in the groove! Her style is a little all over the place, but it fits well in the context of the story, since our main character is a teenage girl riddled with anxiety. This was a pretty medium paced story, but I will say that I'm confused as to why the book's summary gives away the fact that Porter and Alex are the same person?? I mean, it's obvious throughout the whole book so I get why she wasn't making it a huge secret but I feel like that takes away so much of the mystery and magic of actually getting to the last few chapters. That totally gives away the conflict and resolution that actually happens! Makes no sense to me, but I hope Bennett had a good reason in mind when she made that particular creative choice. (Again, the fact that I'm writing this isn't a spoiler because it's literally IN THE BOOK SUMMARY. WEIRD.)
Bailey is our main protagonist, and I personally liked her. She's one of the most realistic and relatable main YA characters I've read in a while, although her actual life situation isn't all that realistic or relatable (that probably makes no sense, sorry). She's got some trauma, some anxiety, and family drama, but the main focus of her story is her relationship with (the dreamy surfer dude) Porter Roth. They start as (sort of) enemies, move to (sort of) friends (who flirt a lot) to lovers. Porter is a great love interest in my opinion, because Bailey describes how complex of a person he is. He is a simp, a loving family man, an overprotective idiot, and a raging a$$ all in one (smoking hot) package. We love that for him. I also LOVE Grace and wish that she had some more page time, her spunk and attitude totally stole all the attention.
So, let's be honest, this book isn't meant to make you stop and truly contemplate your life decisions. There are some small themes here and there, but for the most part, we are just having a good time falling in love with Porter and Bailey. I see no problem with that.
If you are looking for a little vacation read, beach read, summer read, or escape from a dreadfully cold winter, this is for you! If you love a cute romance, this is for you! If you want a pretty quick read that will rescue you from your reading slump, THIS IS FOR YOU! Alex, Approximately is written to please the masses, so enjoy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Violence
georgia8's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use